


hostage of promised weal

by inkwelled



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Kissing, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-05
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2020-11-22 12:22:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 14,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20874137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkwelled/pseuds/inkwelled
Summary: sweet kiss, thy sweets i fain would sweetly indite,which e'en of sweetness sweetest sweet'ner art:pleasing'st consort, where each sense holds a part,which, coupling doves, guides venus' chariot right.— astrophil and stella; sonnet 79 by sir phillip sydneyUPDATES EVERY OTHER DAY [ FINISHED ]





	1. i. hand kiss

**Author's Note:**

  * For [magarii](https://archiveofourown.org/users/magarii/gifts).

> i literally have no idea what to say except!! thank you! this was a stupidly big project for me - we all know my disloyalty when it comes to multi-chapter fics - but here this is! i got this request from rvylas on twitter and while i knew instantly i wanted each prompt to be it's own chapter and 1k, i was hesitant to actually write it because i'm still learning their character voices but eventually this fic sat me down and we made a compromise.
> 
> i present you with _hostage of promised weal_, a zutara kiss prompt fic with fourteen chapters. i'll probably update this every other day simply because i have a semi-busy work schedule as well as other writing projects but!!!! i'm so excited for y'all to read this. i poured my heart into each and every word of the individual chapters and i couldn't have done it without the jasmine dragons twt gc (aino, jasmine and grei especially!!) or poet, who isn't the biggest zutara stan but still came through. you guys are the REAL mvp's and are a huge part of how this fic came along.
> 
> title and summary from [astrophil and stella](https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/astrophil-and-stella-sonnet-79) by phillip sidney

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm a master firebender, great-grandson of Avatar Roku, taught by the Sun Warriors the true meaning and talent of bending fire like dragons, and I'm using it to warm your hands because they _hurt."_

"Zuko," she whines. From his place in front of the mirror, trying to take his topknot down without pulling at his hair, he chuckles. "Zuko, _darling_, come here."

"Yes, my love?"

In the reflection, Katara pouts. She's already dressed for bed and the long cream nightgown looks stunning against her dark skin, pressed into the spiced wine of their sheets. Her hair pours over her shoulder like a curtain and she flops backward. "C'mere. I need your magic hands."

"Not magic," he reminds her with a grin. Rolling her eyes, Katara smiles back and he shakes out his hair before coming to sit on her side of their bed. 

He's only in the thin robe worn beneath his yuanlingshan now and Katara presents her hand to him. "Your Fire Lady thanks you," she announces poshly and he snorts as he takes the offered appendage between his hands.

There's a moment of silence and then his wife is making a sound of contentment as she sinks back into the downy pillows. Peeking one eye open, Zuko catches how her eyelids flutter and he focuses on the expanse of his lungs, his chest, the warmth of his breath and how he lets that warmth spread throughout his body.

_Fire is life, _Iroh's taught him. Zuko doubts his uncle ever expected him to use his abilities to soothe away cramps in the Fire Lady's hands after a long day revising and revisiting treaties and proposals but at the way Katara's mouth curves into a soft smile, he knows it's worth it.

He chuckles to himself and Katara lifts the arm laid over her face to narrow her eyes at him. "What's so funny?"

"I'm a master firebender, great-grandson of Avatar Roku, taught by the Sun Warriors the original talent of bending, and I'm using it to warm your hands because they _hurt."_

Katara's toes poke into his thighs. "I'm sure Ran and Shaw would be proud of you. And how dare you talk to your Fire Lady like that? I challenge you to an Agni Kai."

"You don't bend fire," he laughs and she smiles.

"No, but I can still kick your butt and you know it."

Zuko shakes his head. "I'm well aware. Now, where does it hurt the most?"

Wordlessly, his wife turns her hand over in his so her palm is pressed to the inside of his hand atop hers. Her eyes flutter closed a moment later as he breathes out softly and the warmth worms its way between their hands. Katara relaxes further into the bed, groaning.

"_That's _the spot," she murmurs encouragingly as Zuko's thumb works into the curve of her palm. Silence falls in their chambers for a few minutes as he regulates his breathing and lets his fingers push gently into the callouses of her thin hands. "Thank you."

He looks up. "What?"

"Thank you," she repeats, shrugging. "I know I could heal the cramps myself or take breaks more often but I enjoy this, _us. _We don't get much time together-"

"-alone," Zuko finishes and she nods. He snorts. "I like this, too. Even if I do feel like a glorified heated water bottle."

Katara's heel digs into his thigh again as she barks out a laugh. "Hush, water bottle. Less talk, more soothing."

Mock-gasping, Zuko pulls back and the hand on top of hers lays over his heart. "I can't believe I'm being _used," _he admonishes, "much less by my own _wife. _ I thought you were better than that, Katara."

"Evidently I'm not," she snarks back and flaps her hand in his face. "Now, I have cramps that need soothing, _husband."_

If it was possible, Zuko is sure his eyes would roll out of his head by how hard he does it. Although he puts his hand back on top of hers, trapping her small palm between his two larger hands, he brings them towards him instead.

Katara's eyes crack open from where they'd slid closed again. "What are you doi-"

Whatever she's about to say vanishes when he brings her hand to his mouth and presses a kiss straight to the middle of her palm. In the utter quiet of their bedchamber, Zuko can hear how her breath catches in her throat - a lovely sound he relishes in, he loves rendering his wife as breathless as he is whenever he's around her - and the slight tremble in her voice accompanied by a soft, bright smile as radiant as the hung stars in the sky.

"What's that for?"

He shrugs, peppering slow kisses to the lines of her palm. Warm, chapped lips map out her hand in the most intimate of ways as he exhales through his nose. Katara shivers as gooseflesh raises when his mouth ghosts over her wrist and traces the tips of her fingertips like mountains.

Zuko's always loved scaling mountains - this is no different.

His name is a breathless exhale against Katara's lips. "Zuko," she sighs and her eyelashes flutter against her cheek with every syllable her lips form. _"Zuko."_

"Yes?"

The word is mouthed against the side of her hand, lips still working the topography of her palm as if she's the land and he's the cartographer. Every rise and fall is the landscape and he's more than happy to map every part of it as if he's recording it all on parchment.

Her wrist is small in his as he turns it over. Silently, Zuko observes how the dainty shape of her hand has raised a family in her mother's wake, raised oceans, brought nations from the brink and signed countless peace treaties.

"I love you," he breathes out and plants a final kiss to the very center of the back of her hand. If her hands are a landscape, this is the North Star of his compass. 

Katara leans up to kiss him firmly. "I love you, too," she sighs against his lips and he explores her body in the same way he lovingly mapped her hands.


	2. ii. cheek kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Your hair's getting longer again. Are you going to grow it out?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is being updated later than i intended but i forgot to put it in my drafts so i could post it from my phone. whoops!! this is coming off the high of the nycc tdp and spop panels [giddy yelling and sobbing noises] so if there's any mistakes in the formatting, it's on me :) see you on tuesday!
> 
> tags: turtleducks bc is it even a zutara fic without turtleducks, mention of ozai

"Your hair's getting long again."

Zuko hums as they walk, her hand in the crook of his elbow. They've just come from a trade meeting with Ba Sing Se's leader - a stern, unlikable lady with frown lines around her eyes - and he knows they both need a break so it's no surprise when Katara proposes visiting his mother's garden.

"Really?" he asks, reaching up as if to run his hand through the mop before remembering the meticulous topknot the servants had put it into before the meeting. He lowers his hand. "I guess it is."

"Are you going to grow it out?"

Although she doesn't say it, Zuko knows exactly how the sentence finishes itself, _ like Ozai?, _and he shuts his eyes for a moment. "I don't know," he says hoarsely.

Katara's hand tightens around his arm.

He opens his eyes to smile at her. They've both come a long way in the last decade and although she can still best him during their morning sparring matches, the one thing he has over her is height. It's not by much - her eyes are level with his nose - but Zuko teases her about it whenever he gets the chance to just to watch the glint in her eye.

He'd die before telling her that he enjoys it when she whips him into shape but suspects Katara already knows.

"For the record," she says later after they've stopped by the kitchens to grab the leftover rolls from the day before, "I like you with your hair like this."

She flicks at a strand laying against the structured shoulders of his formal robes and Zuko smiles at her as a greedy turtleduck pecks at the crumbs in his hand. "Any specific reason why?"

Katara shrugs. "I don't know; you just look softer. Younger. Having it pulled back reminds me of the boy who saved me from pirates and tied me to a tree."

There's a teasing smile on her face and Zuko bumps his shoulder into hers, causing the crumbs in her hand to scatter into the pond. Honking, giddy turtleducks swarm as Katara laughs.

"You scared them!"

"They're fat and happy," Zuko waves it off and pokes at her side. "And I thought I was forgiven for the whole tying to a tree thing! Plus, I did actually save you from the pirates."

She's grinning at him as she shifts to run her fingers through his hair. As if he's one of the raccooncats he used to see lazing around the street corners of Ba Sing Se at high noon, he lets his eyes flutter closed and she chuckles. "I do like your hair, though."

"Give me a reason why and I'll keep it," he shoots back but there's no malice in the words. When he opens his eyes, there's a glint in her ocean-water blue that suddenly makes him uneasy, suspicious and sappy all at once.

Katara's fingernails scrape at the crown of his scalp where it aches slightly from the tight topknot he's long since shaken out. Sighing softly, Zuko leans against her shoulder. Sunlight that filters through the leaves above them warms him under the layers of his formal robes but it's not stifling and he lets himself relax fully. In his pocket, the Fire Lord headpiece rests against his thigh and pressed to his side is his rock and partner, his wife, his Fire Lady.

He dozes.

Even though she's no longer in the Southern Water Tribe, Katara still smells like the clean tang of ice, the dusky tones of fur combined with the pine and salt perfume she prefers. It's a fragrance so fully _ her _ that it's become one of - if not his _ favorite - _smell during the yar of their courting and subsequent two years of marriage. 

He doesn't know how long he sleeps but all too soon Katara shifts and a hand presses to his chest. "Alright, sleepyhead," she laughs, teasing, "time to get up and do your job."

"No," he pouts and buries further into her steady warmth. Katara snorts and suddenly she's gone and his head pillows in grass.

Zuko glares up at his wife from where he's laid out on the edge of the pond. "That wasn't very nice."

"You should've gotten up," she grins at him, rolling her eyes but offers her hand all the same. 

Zuko takes it although they both know he doesn't need to. She hoists him to his feet effortlessly and as he smooths down his burgundy robes, Katara gathers up her shoes and the Fire Lord hairpiece that sometime during his nap fell from his pocket. She turns, presenting it to him with a sweeping, mocking bow.

"Your crown, my Lord."

"Thank you," he says in the most dignified voice he can muster. Katara giggles.

He takes the headpiece in one hand and offers his arm to her. The Fire Lady loops her arm into his and they stroll through the garden, enjoying the sunshine from the late afternoon that'll soon turn into a sunset.

"Oh," Katara says suddenly and stops. Zuko turns and there's hands in his hair. "I forgot to do this."

Before he knows what to do, the fingers in his hand tug him down ever-so-slightly and her front presses to his as she turns his head softly. Warm, smooth lips that still faintly smell like the lavender tea served at the meeting press to his scarred cheek, lingering. Then she's turning his head the other way to kiss the opposite cheekbone and Zuko finds himself melting into her embrace.

The kisses are short but nothing less of perfect. 

It's only the seam of her lips pressed to his cheek but there's something so intimate in the motion that his breath catches in his throat. All too soon Katara is stepping away and his eyes open gently as if he's drunk, his laugh spent. "What was that for?"

His wife smirks. "The incentive to keep your long hair."

"Incentive noted," he hums, "and passed."


	3. iii. forehead kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What's her name?" "Huilang."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i lowkey love updating this every other day because the week seems to be going faster. this one features iroh and one of my oc zutara kids - their eldest daughter, huilang! all my oc kids will be popping up at least once and i thought i would kick it off with the oldest, the inherent next fire lord :)
> 
> see you thursday!!

"What's her name?"

"Huilang," Zuko murmurs, eyes only for his newborn daughter. Swaddled in pink, Iroh can only see the flushed, dark coloring of her skin accompanied by a few chestnut curls but his heart swells. The baby is tucked into her father's elbow and when Zuko presents her to his uncle, Iroh knows how hard it is to hand a newborn over. 

He remembers Lu Ten's birth.

Iroh's smile is soft as Zuko transfers the bundle of blankets into his uncle's arms and Iroh trails one finger down the swell of the baby girl's cheek. "Princess Huilang," he whispers adoringly, "a strong name for a strong girl."

"Meet your godfather, Ila," his nephew says from over Iroh's shoulder and he turns.

"Godfather-?"

Zuko's smile is small, cheeks flushed. "You're the only family I have left but even so, I wouldn't trust her safety if something ever happens to us to anyone else. You're like a father to me, Iroh, but if you can't be her grandfather I want to name you her godfather-"

He doesn't have the chance to finish before Iroh is blinking away tears and pulling him into a soft hug. Cradled between them, Princess Huilang sleeps on with shallow, soft breaths and Zuko's arms encircle his daughter and uncle - his daughter and his _father. _

"Please don't crush my daughter," a weak voice chuckles behind them. Iroh breaks the hug to shift the Princess in his arms and smile back at her mother.

"I would never, Lady Katara. She's beautiful."

The Fire Lady's smile is tired but radiant. Iroh observes that even now, after hours of labor, she's still as beautiful and strong as the day he met her and that motherhood...suits her. When he passes Huilang back into her mother's arms and Zuko comes to sit by her side, he silently watches how the little family slots together - puzzle pieces coming home to each other.

Huilang coos and Iroh's chest melts when Zuko visually softens at the sound. His arm comes around his wife's shoulders and Katara draws her daughter closer as she looks up.

"Iroh, come here," she smiles, hair hanging around her shoulders in limp curling strands. There's still a sheen of sweat on her forehead as she extends her hand. He takes it gratefully. "You're her family too."

He supposes he's a part of the puzzle, too. Cautiously, he slides into the other side of the bed and all three adults watch how Huilang's nose scrunches before smoothing out in sleep. Sometime during it all, Katara's head rests on his shoulder and Iroh shares a glance with Zuko.

The Fire Lord is smiling so widely that his scar ripples. Even now, Iroh can see how wonderful of a father he'll be - if the way he looks at his daughter like she's hung the stars in the sky and holds her like she's more precious than any metal or jewel is anything to go by.

It's the same way he looks at Katara when she's not looking, the same way Iroh has caught him looking at him. 

"Thank you," Iroh murmurs. Katara's head shifts on his shoulder.

"For what?"

He keeps his eyes on Huilang's sleeping face because he knows exactly how Zuko is looking at him right now - Katara too, and while he loves them, this moment in time is too much for him to handle. "For naming me Princess Huilang's godfather," he continues. "I am honored."

The Fire Lady's hand slips into his and squeezes weakly. He looks up. 

Katara's face is bright despite the circles beneath her eyes. In the torchlight, he can see how glassy they are. "Of course," she murmurs and glances over at her husband. Zuko's face is just as light. "We knew as soon as we found out that you would be her godfather. Thank _ you _, Uncle. It's an honor you accepted."

"Father," he reminds her and a few tears slip down her cheeks. The room descends back into a comfortable silence as Katara yawns, her head coming to rest back against Zuko's ar. When her breath evens out, Iroh stands quietly and smooths the blankets.

Zuko's eyes follow him as Iroh rounds the bed. "Stay."

Iroh shakes his head. "This is your moment, son," he says and kisses his forehead. "Chief Hakoda and her brother will be here soon. Rest while you can."

Chuckling, the Fire Lord looks down at the woman leaning against his shoulder and the newborn in her arms. He catches Iroh's arm when he goes to turn away. "You're always welcome."

"I know," Iroh smiles back and half-bows then. Zuko is _still _his Fire Lord after all, even though he is his family, and he chuckles.

Although he is true in his intentions to give the little family time to rest together before Katara's father and brother arrive, Iroh finds himself lingering in the doorway. Surrounded by the dark burgundy silk of their bed, Katara and Zuko glow as they cradle Huilang close, whispering and smiling. He knows they're both exhausted and resounds himself to holding off the healers for just a bit longer.

They need this time with their daughter as much as they need it with each other.

He wonders for a moment what color her eyes will be.

"She looks like you," Zuko murmurs, his arm still around his wife's shoulders. Katara smiles indulgently.

"She looks like her grandmother."

It's quiet then and Iroh mourns that Huilang's grandmother will not get to see her grow into the woman she's meant to be. Katara's told stories about her mother and that sacrifice, he knows, will live on for generations.

Live on through _Huilang. _

Zuko presses his lips to her forehead. "Kya would be proud of her _and you." _

Then Katara is tearing up, leaning to bury her face in Zuko's collarbone. Smiling to himself, Iroh closes the doors as her husband peppers her forehead in kisses, giving them their privacy. He folds his arms inside his sleeves.

Family, indeed.


	4. iv. jaw kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You're lucky I came along when I did or your advisors would want to know why their Fire Lord had a banged-up face."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's part four and the introduction of another oc zutara kid - iroh the second, their only son and the second youngest. i guess i should introduce all of them since another is mentioned in this fic so!!! in my head, zuko and katara had four daughters and one son, of varying ages which you'll discover the more chapters i post. a proper full-length kids fic is in the works but won't be coming around anytime soon so this is technically their introduction.
> 
> huilang (a firebender) is their oldest, followed by amira (nonbender), shui (nonbender) and then about a five year age gap until iroh ii (a waterbender) and loi (fire and lightning bender). i've worked really hard on their appearances and personalities and am so excited to share them with you in upcoming chapters!

She tsks. "I can always count on you and Iroh to get yourselves in trouble."

From where he's sitting on the porch next to their son, Zuko grins before wincing. The glow of the water surrounding her hands, snatched from the fountain in the courtyard and held to his chin, dances in his eyes.

"Not my fault  _ your  _ son is a fantastic waterbender."

"Oh, he's my son now?" Katara laughs and Iroh beams at her from next to his father. They were both soaking wet when she walked by and Zuko had shouted a greeting right before a water whip slammed into his face.

Now they're here.

She shakes her head. "You know, I thought he was  _ our  _ son, considering how we both there when he was conceived-"

Iroh makes a choking noise as his father's eyes sparkle with amusement despite the flowering bruise below his mouth. "Mom!" their only son admonishes, "Dad! That's  _ gross!" _

"Well it's true," Zuko says with a prideful smile and both the Fire Lord and Lady chuckle at Iroh's returned raspberry. Unscathed as he is, their son shakes his head and bounds off, no doubt going to track down Amira. Although their second eldest daughter should be in her etiquette class right now, Katara knows she's probably found a way out somehow and in ten minutes they'll hear the sound of Amira and Iroh terrorizing the cooks.

They watch him run off, water on the courtyard stones forgotten with the unsaid end to his waterbending lessons for the day. Katara shakes her head, returning to where the liquid around her fingers is pressed to Zuko's chin and frowns when she hears how his breath catches.

She turns his head with a hand to his cheek to get a better look at the rapidly-purpling skin before frowning. "He got you good."

"I guess asking a waterbender to spar during the full moon isn't a great idea," Zuko chuckles and Katara smiles at him. 

"I thought you already knew that. It's your fault, by the way, for wanting to spend more time with him when you know all he wants to do is run around making the servant's lives harder with Amira. When he isn't training, that is."

Her husband's mouth quirks upwards. "I get it now, why Uncle was always so exasperated with me and went gray so soon. I swear I found a gray hair this morning."

"Wouldn't surprise me," she snorts and pulls her hands away. The skin is unblemished by the previous green, black and blue stain and Katara stands. "Uncle did always say you were the problem child."

"Out of Azula and I, he thought  _ I  _ was the harder one? Ouch."

He takes her offered hand when presented. After she hoists him to his feet, Katara sends the water from the courtyard stones back into the fountain - the one she requested be installed, now that the new Fire Lady was a waterbender and the training grounds were bare of any of her element - with a flick of her hand.

"Good as new," she declares a moment later. Zuko isn't sure whether she's talking about the training area or his face until she traces the curve of his chin gently. "You're lucky I came along when I did or your advisors would want to know why their Fire Lord had a banged-up face."

He snorts. "Heaven forbid."

Thumb ghosting across his lips, she cups his scarred cheek. When it brushes the skin of his jaw Zuko winces and her eyebrows knit as she steps forward. 

"Does it still hurt?"

He shakes his head. "Just sore," he says easily but she's already frowning. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees the glint as she pulls a handful of water from the fountain again and clasps her wrist lightly. "I'm okay, Katara. Really."

For a moment she simply watches his face before sighing and letting the water splash back into the basin. Zuko smiles crookedly as he draws her into a hug despite the fact his chest is covered in sweat and she's in her impeccable robes. "What would I do without you," he muses and her laughter vibrates his chest as she buries her face in his collarbone. 

"Probably not have any heirs to your stuffy Fire Lord throne," Katara shoots back, voice muffled, "and go crazy, being stuck here all alone. Bossy, with no one to kick your butt when you need it."

"Hey!" 

As if payback, Zuko squeezes her closer and she squeaks when he starts to rub his cheek against hers. His wife squirms in his grip, trying to pry her face away from his sweaty one, breathless with laughter. "Zuko-! That's disgusting! You're getting it all over my robes."

He pulls back suddenly, eyes glinting and Katara instantly knows she's in trouble. She waggles a finger at him.

_ "Don't-" _

"Seems like we need a bath then!" he shouts and with a whooping laugh wraps his arms around her in the second before he's flinging them both into the spring. Shrieking with giggles she's helpless to do anything but cling to him as the cold water instantly soaks through her thick robes, layer after layer of silk clinging to her body.

She surfaces with a snort, pushing her ruined hair out of her face. Next to her, Zuko looks like both a waterlogged mouse bat while also being a preening cat owl and she pushes at his shoulder, laughing.

"ZUKO!"

His hair is plastered to his forehead as he rights himself. "No more sweat," he smirks and she tackles him back into the pool with a growl.

"You're incorrigible," she announces after they've both surfaced again and even Zuko acknowledges they need to change before dinner. She takes his hand and climbs from the fountain, grinning ear-to-ear even after she swipes at him before leaning up to kiss his jaw.

She can feel his smile. "Does this mean I'm forgiven?"

"Come find out," Katara beckons. They're late to dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> see you saturday!!


	5. v. back kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Perhaps I could stay awhile, if given the proper..._motivation._"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the outpouring of love, comments, kudos and bookmarks this fic has received makes me so soft thank you!! so much!!! i adore writing this fic and am glad to see others are enjoying reading it as well :)
> 
> warning: uh married shenanigans. implied sexual content set before this chapter and heavily implied sexual content before and after this chapter. just good ole steam and body worship

Katara wakes to sunlight in her face, hair in her mouth, and a warm body beside her. Only one of these three things is normal and she scrunches her nose, burying her nose back in sheets to try and escape the offending light.

When it doesn't work she sighs, raising her head. Zuko is face-down next to her, her face pressed to his ribs and the open curtains do nothing to buffer the rising sun in the distance. She groans.

They must have forgotten to pull them closed last night after he kissed every inch of her body and she shuddered in his arms three times over, his breath ghosting over her neck, her legs wrapped around his hips to lock ankles. Even just the memory has her smiling and Katara props herself up on one elbow to admire the sight before her.

It isn't often she wakes before her husband - even all these years later he insists on rising with the sun and doing his firebending forms before she even thinks of stirring - so when she gazes at the smooth planes of his back peeking beneath the burgundy sheets, she's content on staying right where she is. Sleep still pulls at her eyes like anchors but she fights it to instead let her eyes map the hills of his shoulder blades, following the knot of his spine like a stream to the hollow right before his tailbone.

Katara loves Zuko in every single way she can possibly can, in ways she knows but doesn't know how to say so it's as easy to breathing to stretch up and press her lips to his biceps.

He doesn't even _move_.

A wicked smile crosses her face when she remembers how she clung to him the night before, digging her fingertips into his back until it bowed with the weight of release and she hugged him to her until they both fell asleep. Sometime during the night, he's turned onto his stomach, face pressed to the pillow away from her and arm sliding beneath the pillow.

Katara kisses the same line of his arms again.

The heat that warms her stomach from the inside out has nothing to do with the rising sun in the distance, peeking over the mountains to shine into their bedchamber. Settling on her elbow again, she lets her mouth wander from his biceps to his shoulder, pressing lips to where his skin dips and rises, warm from slumber. Zuko smells like sweat and charcoal, like their sheets and her soap and Katara's nose ghosts against his skin again and again.

A muffled sigh drifts to her ears and she can't help but smile when she kisses the nape of his neck. There's not much more skin she can reach like this and Katara makes up her mind a moment later.

She's completely bare when she throws one leg over Zuko's sleeping form and settles herself in the dip of his upper thighs, slotting her hips to line up with the curve of his backside underneath the covers. The air outside the sheets is just as warm and she shivers pleasantly as she surveys her new vantage point.

The kiss she plants in the middle of his shoulder blades makes her husband shift beneath her. Katara bites her lip as she leans forward, letting both her hands roam the expanse of his arms until her chest is pushed flush with his upper back.

Zuko moans, his hips undulating ever-so-slightly beneath the press of her hips and Katara can't help but nip at his earlobe again. Tongue darting between her lips she starts at the shell of his ear and works down until she's planting stout kisses down the alluring curve of his spine.

"'tara," her husband breathes shakily and she smirks to herself, letting her tongue flick out to trace one of the knots in the middle of his back. Zuko groans again, wiggling against the sheets._ "'tara."_

_Ah,_ he's awake then.

She can't help but grind down lightly against the slope of his thigh, biting back her own moan. The heat in her stomach has moved south, further south, and the ache from the night before is slowly being replaced with anticipation of this morning.

The hall outside is silent, the sun is rising, and they have this moment to themselves.

When Katara presses a closed-mouth kiss to the lowest part of his spine she can reach, Zuko's breathless laugh rumbles through his body. He's shifted now, to pillow his head in his arms and watch her worship of his body in the sunrise's glow.

If he's marble beneath her bronze fingertips, they're both carved to fit together seamlessly.

_"'ood morning,"_ he rumbles.

Katara smiles back innocently, teasing.

"Morning, love. Did I wake you?"

Humming as if in thought, Zuko shakes his head after a moment, returning her taunting look. "Nope, I woke up all my own. I did, though, happen to feel a persistent little bug marching across my back at one point..."

She shoves at his shoulder. "This persistent little bug is about to go somewhere where her attention is appreciated."

"No!" Zuko cries, laughing, twisting himself beneath her until her back is hitting the mattress and he looms over her instead. "How sad. Any chance I could persuade her to stay? Just for a bit?"

An ankle around his back has them flipping again. Katara settles back on him, crux of her thighs resting over his stomach as she taps her chin. She's unabashed in her nakedness and watches how Zuko seems to go starry-eyed as his hands fit onto her hips as if they were made to be there all along.

Maybe they were.

"Perhaps she _could_ stay awhile," Katara purrs as she leans down. Reveling in how his throat constricts as her husband swallows thickly, she lets her bare chest brush his. "If she was given the proper...motivation."

"I'm a great negotiator," Zuko murmurs and their fingers and lips tangle together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> see you monday!


	6. vi. knuckle kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "She's going to be fine, Katara. She woke up. Now it's _your turn."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: BLOOD, INJURY, ALMOST CHARACTER DEATH, MENTIONED CHILD LOSS, ALMOST-MISCARRIAGE
> 
> not going to lie, this chapter is heavy. really heavy. it's really close to home, too, but i couldn't shake this feeling that this was what part six was going to be about. there's no shame in skipping this chapter if the subject matter isn't something you want to read, they'll be a brief, clean description in the end notes of what happened. i promise chapter seven will go back to the regularly scheduled fluff.

"Hey, love."

There's no response and Zuko chokes back tears as he sits heavily. The chair is stiff and uncomfortable as he folds his elbows on the bedspread and rests his forehead on them. "Please," he whispers, "please, Katara, come back to me."

Silence greets him instead. He stares down at the burgundy silk sheets her hand rests on, small against the sharp color, breathes in shakily. Somehow, even with the curtains drawn, she seems frail and paling.

"They say she's going to be okay," Zuko murmurs and takes her hand with his. Although his fingers are still speckled in blood and he can still hear Katara's pained cries as she pressed two fingers to the fragile chest of their daughter, willing the blood to _ move _ as she herself bled _ , _he brings their hands to his lips. "She's going to be fine, Katara. She woke up. Now it's your turn."

She doesn't even stir. 

Trembling lips press light kisses to her knuckles. Her skin is waxy and cold, colder than usual and he lets a few tears slip down his cheeks. 

"We named her Shui, like you wanted."

The discussion over their third daughter's name had been long-winded and spanned months. Zuko had rallied behind _Minh _while Katara put her foot down behind _Shui _and it had been a fight that eventually brought in Iroh, Huilang, Amira, and the entirety of Team Avatar.

When Zuko held his wife's hand as she screamed in pain, when he was thrust the wailing bundle that was his third daughter barely moments after Katara got her to breathe for the first time and it was her instead who wasn't breathing, the name suddenly didn't matter. All he wanted was for them both to _breathe, _for his wife and his little girl to _live. _

"Her name, my Lord?"

Zuko had known he was trembling, staring at how Katara lay dormant on the bed, bleeding heavily between her legs and eyes rolling back into her head as the bundle in his arms screamed. 

"Shui," he had murmured._ "Shui."_

Shui had been taken from him quickly after they got Katara's bleeding to stop and he'd been ushered from the room. The double doors of the Fire Lady's chambers had been shut tightly behind him and he had leant against them, finally letting himself break down.

Two daughters both under the age of six had brought life back into the dark corridors of the Fire Palace, chasing away memories of burning scars and missing family members with warm laughter and the pitter-patter of small, slippered feet. But as Zuko wandered those long halls, his hands empty and dried blood under his fingernails, the only thing he had found was his breath echoing back at him.

Somehow he had ended in front of Iroh's quarters. His steps had been slow, dragging, and the two guards posted outside had looked at each other before stepping in front of the double doors.

"Let me in," Zuko had demanded, drawing himself up. "Your Fire Lord orders you to step aside. Let me see my family."

The left guard had hesitated. "My Lord-"

_"LET ME IN!_" he had roared. "I NEED TO SEE THEM! I NEED TO _SEE-"_

Whatever he had been about to say was broken off by a sob and then he was on the floor, hands pressed to his mouth, choking on tears. There had been the sound of a door opening and closing quickly and then there were warm arms around him, drawing him to his feet. His face was pressed into burgundy robes smelling of tea leaves and smoke.

_ Iroh. _

His uncle had been an anchor, holding him up as much as he was holding him down. "Fire Lord Zuko," he had murmured, "you will scare them. You're covered in blood."

He had looked down at hands that didn't quite seem his own. _He was covered in his wife and his daughter's blood. _

Iroh's face had swum in his vision. His voice had been gentle as he steered his nephew towards the Fire Lord chambers. "Let's get you cleaned up."

"Uncle,_ Katara-" _

"I know," the older man had whispered, eyes on the floor. "I know, my nephew. She is strong, as is your daughter. If Agni wills it, they will live."

Zuko's chest had burst. "They'll _live, _they _have to, _Iroh_, _they_ MUST-" _

The halls had melted into his bedchamber as time moved like brown molasses. Iroh was holding back his hair in the washroom as he spit out bile and trembled when water so hot he couldn't even feel splashed over his hands. 

He had started at the basin as the water turned pink. 

Out of the corner of his eye as his uncle was escorting him from the washroom, Zuko had seen a flash of white before Iroh was yelling at the guards and the fabric was taken away. Standing in the middle of his bedchamber, the Fire Lord had watched the down-turned eyes of the guards as they carried the spotless white robes from where they were laid out on his bed.

Dimly, he had wondered if there was enough wood in the land to build a coffin big enough for his grief. How big would the casket be for his wife, his daughter, how had the pure white of the funeral robes ended up on his bed? How could he stand to dress in them, hands as stained with blood as they were?

Time had wavered until he was blinking awake. Iroh had gone, probably back with Huilang and Amira, and he was alone.

The secret corridor from his bedchamber to the Fire Lady's was short but eternities lived inside each step. He didn't know if he was allotted, in fresh robes as he was without the blood of two of his family stained over. Was it a blessing or a curse, this unawareness? 

Zuko presses salt-wet kisses to each of his wife's knuckles. 

"Come back," he pleads hoarsely. "Come _back."_

Her eyelids flutter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> basically, zuko wakes in the middle of the night because katara is in labor. there's complications with the birth of their daughter, shui, and katara has to restart her heart because she was a stillborn. shui is taken away after she's revived but katara is still bleeding heavily and zuko is kicked from the room. he tries to go see his uncle (who is watching huilang and amira, their two eldest daughters) but isnt allowed inside. at the end of the chapter, after iroh helps him change, he ends up back in the fire lady chambers and katara wakes up.
> 
> once again, this chapter hurts so much and i'm sorry but i'll see you in two days.


	7. vii. spider-man kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You never did tell me what that song meant, by the way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What Is This? A Double Update? 
> 
> YES IT IS
> 
> i felt really bad about the angst in the last chapter and the kinda ambiguous ending so here is a reassurance that shui and katara are okay!! they’re doing fine!! here’s the next part two days early because aino and jasmine begged and i can’t say no to their puppy dog eyes. this is a little bit of a different take on the spider-man kiss, more of a focus on it just being upside down instead of in an au because i really like how all these chapters so far are set in the same au (just not chronilogically) so i decided to stick with that. 
> 
> enjoy! see you on wednesday <3

_ "Ah-kuluk," _ Katara sings, a soft bounce to her steps as she walks towards their house. Strapped to her chest and blinking up at her drowsily, Shui makes a cooing sound of contentment.  _ "Ai-gnai panikuluk, panikuluk." _

Smiling, she smooths a hand over her daughter's head, scattered with inky curls. While Shui seems to have gotten her bronze skin, the sable wisps crowning her face is all Zuko and Katara loves it - their two other daughters got her hair color. She knows her husband revels in the victory of having one daughter with ebony tresses.

Further down the shore there's the sound of Amira calling out and Katara climbs the stairs to the royal family's beach house. Ember Island is beautiful this time of year, even under the midday sun, and she knows Huilang and Amira would be content to splash in the salty waters until their toes and fingers crinkled like wet parchment.

Shui's head rests against Katara's chest, nestled into the hollow of her neck as she hums. The lullaby is one she's sung to each of her daughters and the memory of her own mother singing it to her sometimes makes her tear up.

Sometimes, she misses her native language like she misses her mother.

Even now Katara remembers the lilt of her mother's singing voice, soft and steady over the roar of the snowstorms at night. She remembers Sokka's warm shoulders pressed against hers, the furs drawn to her chin, Kya and Hakoda's smiles as they bent to kiss their children's foreheads before drawing down the flap of their shared room in the small hut.

In her arms, her daughter stirs and Katara clucks her tongue before continuing. They're both warm, almost uncomfortably so after almost an hour under an umbrella at the shore and the Fire Lady longs for a tall glass of lemonade.

_ "Tunirrusiara arnakuluk," _ she hums and Shui settles. The floorboards under her bare feet creak as she crosses the porch and her hand is on the doorknob when she finishes the short lullably.  _ "Maana qaujimanngittuq suli." _

"You never told me what that means."

Katara startles, whirling around with one hand on Shui's back as the other extends. Quicker than she can blink, there's a water whip extending past her fingers and flinging through the air. 

The water falls uselessly against the stone tiles and she's confused for a moment before her husband's hair appears at the roofline. "Oops. I didn't mean to startle you, darling."

His face appears a moment later, upside down as if he's floating right above the roof and she scrunches up her face. 

"Zuko! I could've hit you!"

Even without seeing his shoulders, she knows he's shrugging but there's a sheepish look on his face. "Sorry. I didn't want to interrupt your singing but I saw you coming up. Grow tired of the beach?"

"I could ask the same," she observes and stares pointedly at how he's literally laying on the roof of the porch. "But Shui and I decided it was time for a break. What's your excuse? I thought you, Ila and Mira were playing in the water."

A playful glint sparkles in his golden eyes, highlighted by the midday sun behind his head. Long strands of his hair fall past his head to hang in the air. "We are playing, just not in the water."

The answer comes to her instantly.

"Hide and Explode."

He grins goofily at her, like he's eighteen all over again and not twenty-nine. "Hide and Seek, more like. Huilang is scary good at Hide and Explode and I'm not letting her and her sister take shots at my only good eyebrow again."

Chuckling at the memory, Katara walks forward until she's almost standing beneath him. Zuko's face is steadily turning red as he hangs upside down and she cocks her head. 

"How haven't they found you yet? It's easy to see the roof from higher ground."

Zuko's eyebrow shoots up - or downwards? Katara can't tell from his inverted position - as he considers. "You're right."

"As usual," she preens and chuckles when her husband gives her a mocking stink-eye. "You're welcome for saving your favorite eyebrow."

"Maddening woman," Zuko shoots back but they're both still smiling. "You never did tell me what that song meant, by the way."

Katara blinks. "What?"

He shimmies a bit so his shoulders come into view, rumpled pink robes which she knows means he's most relaxed. Rose isn't a color she sees him in often but she loves every second if it. 

"The lullaby," he smiles. "The one you've sang to each of our girls. I love your voice and just never remembered to ask because I was always just in awe of it."

She flushes. "It's - a cradlesong from the Southern Water Tribe," she explains and hesitates slightly. "My mother used to sing it to Sokka and I, I remember. I just thought..."

"Hey," Zuko murmurs and she looks up, realizing she's been staring down at Shui's sleeping face pressed to her collarbones. "Come here, love."

It's simple to bend a column of water from rain barrel by the porch and she rises until her husband's face is level with hers. Zuko's eyes soften as he looks down at the baby strapped to her chest.

"It's a beautiful song, Katara, and I'm sure your mother would love that you've passed it down to our daughters. You don't have to tell me what it means, if you don't want to-"

Before he's even done she's surging up to kiss him. It's not exactly a smooth kiss - her chin bumping against his nose and vice versa but it's perfect. Zuko tastes like sunshine and they're both smiling when it breaks.

"You probably should move your hiding place," she says breathlessly in the moment Amira's voice echoes across the beach.

"I found him, Huilang! He's kissing Mommy on the roof!"

Zuko groans before he's flipping down and grabbing her hand.  _ "Run." _

With a baby strapped to her chest, she does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the song katara sings to her daughter(s) in this was taken from [this very helpful website](https://elektra.ca/pieces/lullaby/). the translation offered by the website says what she says is roughly "ah, little one. hello little daughter, little daughter. i have a gift of a little girl. she doesn’t know a thing yet." and is an inuit lullaby


	8. viii. lipstick kiss (part i)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Congratulations, Fire Lady Katara."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is actually a two-parter! friday i'll post the second part (hint: it's shoulder kiss!) and i can't wait for y'all to see it :) the gaang ft. iroh will be making an appearance as well. see you then!

The palace has been in disarray for almost a month so the sudden halt of all the rush sends Zuko into a spiral. The fifth-year-anniversary since the ending of the Hundred Year War is rapidly approaching and it's the Fire Nation's turn to host the biggest celebration of the year.

It's been hard-won but he thinks, as he watches Katara move carefully around the small bump of her stomach, it's all been worth it.

He chuckles when his wife's lips turn down into a pout. "Need any help?"

"I can dress myself just fine, thank you very much," she says haughtily and proves him right. Their friends will be arriving within the hour and both of their hands shake with nerves.

Barely six months ago was their wedding; this is the first time they'll be seeing them since then. No one knows Katara's pregnant, not even Sokka, and the thin line of his wife's lips in the mirror is all the evidence Zuko needs of her stress.

He stands, coming around their large bed to stand behind her. "It'll be fine," he murmurs. "Promise. They'll all be happy for you."

"Us," Katara reminds him and he knows his grin is giddy.

"Yeah, _us." _

Even just that simple word makes his heart skip a beat - us. _Them. _They've fought the war on the battleground so long that the fight just to be where they are now seems so small, even though it felt longer than a century. How long did it take the Fire Nation to accept a Fire Lady from the Southern Water Tribe? How long did it take the Council to approve?

Here they are now -_ expecting_. If Katara's healing abilities are to be trusted, in a few months they'll have a little girl to present as the very first Fire Princess of the new Fire Nation. A _peaceful _Fire Nation.

Zuko's floating at the thought.

One of his hands traces down Katara's side until it's brushing her stomach, pressing lightly against where he can feel the curvature. Although she's two months along she's barely showing and he knows how much she savors that, now.

The robes hide it spectacularly and if he didn't know exactly where to look, Zuko would be unaware.

He can't imagine being unaware. Every morning since Katara shook him awake with the news her cycle hadn't come in a week and she had just threw up, he's awoken her with kisses smattered all over her cheeks, collarbones and abdomen.

A grunt calls his attention back and he sees how she struggles to tie a sash around her waist. After a moment she sighs.

"It seems you _do _need my help after all," he chuckles and ties off the fabric easily. Katara blows a piece of her hair out of her face grumpily.

"Don't let it go to your head. This is a one-time thing."

Zuko nods but he knows he's smiling ear to ear. "Sure, darling."

Although she tries to look stern, Katara's smothering down a smile when she turns. Her fingertip worms it's way to poke at the middle of his chest. "Don't patronize me, mister. Now _shoo! _ I have to finish getting ready and I won't be able to with you hovering over me like this."

It's not that he's staring purposefully, it's just that he can't _stop. _ Katara seems to glow all the time now, even when she's hunched over in the washroom and he's holding back her hair, even when he's rubbing her ankles every night and her elbow digs into his ribs when she shifts in her sleep, uncomfortable. Here, now, dressed up as she is in burgundy and navy robes a little more ornate than usual, she's positively _radiant. _

He supposes that's how Iroh had figured it out so quickly. They had greeted him the morning Zuko found out and Katara had hardly sat down, he glued to her side, when his Uncle laughed.

"Congratulations, Fire Lady Katara."

While Zuko had startled, Katara had simply laughed. "Is he really that obvious?"

Iroh had chuckled, setting down his teacup. "I had it figured out before you even sat. He can't stop staring and he's right to! You're glowing, Lady Katara."

"It didn't help he tried to help me down," she teased. Zuko had crossed his arms mockingly.

"Excuse me for trying to pamper my wife," he had sniffed. Iroh and Katara's laughter had warmed his chest until he couldn't help but brush their hands beneath the low table. 

His wife had taken his hand with a well-meaning eye roll and Iroh's gaze had sparkled knowingly.

Uncle finding out was one thing. Telling their friends was another because as soon as Aang and Sokka found out, it would no longer be a secret. By the next morning, the four nations would know that the Fire Lord and Lady were expecting.

(If they get the chance to tell them, that is, unless Toph ruins the surprise.)

"You know," Zuko murmurs as he watches her move to the vanity and opens her favorite pot of rogue, "you don't need any powder. You're already glowing."

A flush works across her face as she dabs at her lips. Katara sends him a playful glare. "Flatterer," she accuses.

"Truth," he shoots back with a grin. Zuko slips his arms around her waist, slots his chin on her shoulder. "I would never lie to you, My Lady. You're stunning. Our little girl is going to be beautiful."

Her eyes soften in the mirror and she sets down the pot to spin in his arms until her own are locked around his waist. "Our," she muses with a wondrous smile. _"Our _ little girl, Zuko."

They're both still star-struck at the idea.

"Ours," he repeats and savors the syllables as they roll off his tongue. His nose bumps against Katara's gently. _"Ours." _

She lets her eyes flutter closed as his hand cups her cheek. "Ours," she breathes and kisses him.

Zuko's always loved her rogue staining his lips.


	9. ix. shoulder kiss (part ii)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I can't believe we got upstaged by _Sokka!_ A baby - a royal one nonetheless! - is more important than a measly proposal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this got a lot deeper than i meant it to be - in my outline it was toph knowing as soon as she walked into the room that katara was pregnant and spoiling the surprise for everyone which resulted in Loud, Dramatic Zuko Complaining and Amused And Giggly But Still Scolding Katara but instead!! turned into their fears! which i think is perfectly valid and needs to be addressed bc let's be real,, ,all their kids have like. seven layers of protection before you can even touch a HAIR on their head and even then their parents will have trained them in how to take down assassins with a spoon. any assassination attempts are in vain. the assassin industry tanks after Princess Huilang is born.
> 
> i kept some elements from that outline though! i'm a firm believer in toph being a low-down dirty cheater at pai sho, so much that aang tiredly watches every game because even a blind young woman can cheat the dragon of the west out of his favorite teapot. so yeah!! zutara's baby announcement gets upstaged by sokka proposing to suki and the fire lord sulks about it because It's What He Does. that's basically this chapter and i love them.
> 
> where are suki and sokka in this, you might ask? probably making out in one of the many bedrooms in the fire palace, i don't know. i'm just the writer.
> 
> enjoy! the next update will be sunday :)

"I can't believe we got upstaged by  _ Sokka,"  _ Zuko whines and Katara giggles as his breath tickles her neck. "I hate your brother, darling."

"What about his fiancée?"

He hums. "Suki can stay. It's not her fault he has awful timing."

She reaches back to run a hand through his hair. "Be happy for them," she scolds lightly but grins at the memory, "they've wanted this for a while. You know it's been hectic these past five years. We've been lucky."

"Still," he groans. His hand settles over her stomach. "I can  _ feel  _ it. She's offended, too. This was supposed to be her big day!"

Katara's smile is wide, he can hear it even though she's facing away from him and he can only see her chin. "Oh, really now? You're suddenly a healing waterbender?"

"Call it a father's instinct," he announces to her laughter.

The air falls silent, then, and they gaze out at the city below. Even though firebenders rise with the sun which holds true to the Nation, there are still so many lights dotting the miles around them. Music floating up to their ears from the ballroom somewhere below them and the party that spills into the streets, Katara hums thoughtfully in his arms.

He presses a kiss to her clothed shoulder. "Penny for your thoughts?"

She sighs wistfully. 

"I'm just worried."

"About what?"

"I'm not stupid," she says but there's no bite in her words, "I know you hide the current state of my approval ratings from me. We've come a long way but there's still pockets of extremists that rally behind your father and Azula - and even some who aren't actively calling for my head that don't like the idea of a waterbender on their throne. I'm ready, you're ready," her hand rests on his then, still covering the small bump, "but what if she isn't? What if we're being too hasty?"

"Your throne," he reminds her gently. Katara's sigh shifts her robes across her shoulders.

"My throne. But what about  _ her  _ throne?"

Zuko hums to let her know he's heard her and silence falls. The knot in her joint lessens but doesn't disappear completely and he kisses it again.

His voice is muffled by the thick burgundy and navy fabric. "I'm worried too, but if we always worry about how the Nation will react we'll never get anything done. You didn't care about how the Nation would react when you passed the amendment for health standards in orphanages or the project to rebuild in lower economic-class areas to promote improvement and restart our economic system. You didn't care what people said when you went into factories and completely changed what they were producing when my advisors were close to just closing them. The Nation stood by you then. They'll love our Princess as much as we already do, I'm sure of it."

Her fingers hadn't stopped combing through his hair the entire time. Long after his words have soaked into the midnight air and are replaced with the faint sounds of Iroh and Toph playing Pai Sho with Aang as the referee, Katara snorts.

"I see you learned how to give inspirational speeches from Iroh as well."

He chuckles into her shoulder. "One of my many talents, I suppose."

"I would ask if you're worried," his wife murmurs, "but you're always worried."

Where he'd usually skirt around the topic by exaggeratingly protesting, he instead sighs. His head suddenly feels too big for his neck, too heavy for his shoulders and he drops his forehead against her shoulder blades.

"I'm terrified," he chuckles but it's hollow and they both know it, "I'm honestly scared out of my mind to meet her and for our people to meet her but I know you'll be by my  _ and her  _ side the whole time. You're scarier than anything some extremists can throw at us."

His fingers seem to dig in tighter to Katara's robes, searching for where they both know her stomach slants down. He cups the curvature as he continues. "But her mother is a fighter as much as she is a peacekeeper. Whatever happens, I know you'll be her first defense."

"You seem to forget her father is quite frightening as well," she hums. Turning in his arms, her back pressed to the stone of the balcony railing, she takes the hand on her stomach and presses it to her mouth. "We're her first defense and anyone who dares to come anywhere near her will have the entire Team Avatar to deal with. Our little girl is going to be absolutely spoiled with love and protection."

"Point," Zuko concedes before she's leaning in on her tiptoes to slip her arms around his shoulders. Her face presses to his collarbones. 

Like breathing, his arms twirl around her waist. Even all these years later, he can't help of think of their first hug - on that dock in the Fire Nation, her feet bare, tears in her eyes, words echoing in his ears.  _ But I am ready to forgive you. _

He knows that moment was the instant he knew he would want to wake beside her always but every split-second since has only increased those feelings. Zuko hugs her back just as fiercely, the evidence of their determination and hope for the future pressing into his stomach. Every step towards that day where he'll meet their daughter is another room for error, somewhere for something to slip but he knows Katara's right.

Just inside the room is their friends - the Avatar, the first-ever metalbender and (self-proclaimed) greatest earthbender in the world, leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, the next chief of the Southern Water Tribe and highly skilled swordsman. The Dragon of the West takes a stab at his nephew's tea-making skills, even after months of running a tea shop.

His nephew - the Fire Lord of the Fire Nation. Married to the first-ever waterbending Fire Lady.

They've weathered countless storms before and they'll do it again, together, a family.


	10. x. stomach kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "They're just stretch marks. Nothing special."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did someone order smut with a side of soft feelings and body worship? no? just me? oh well you get it anyways.
> 
> i won't apologize for this taking longer than every other day to update - mental health is a fickle thing, especially when you're functioning off no meds or an outlet of any kind including a therapist because your family thinks depression is fake and it's just lazy people being sad. spoiler alert! it's not!! so i had a hard time these past two days and didn't get this written. oops. but i won't say i'm sorry because i'm not and the jasmine dragons gc on twitter wouldn't let me.
> 
> shoutout to grei, jasmine, aino, kuki and poet for being The Real Ones.
> 
> enjoy :)

Katara sinks into the bed next to him with a long sigh. "I love Uncle sometimes."

Chuckling, he turns onto his side. "He does have his moments," he laughs. In the torchlight of their bedchambers, he watches how her shoulders relax against the dark burgundy silk sheets and doesn't fight the urge to press his knuckles into the hollow of the junction of her arm and shoulder. She groans, closing her eyes blissfully.

"I feel like I could stay here and sleep for a hundred years."

"Hopefully not sleeping the _entire _time," Zuko chuckles and his hand spans the length of her arm, tracing his fingertips along the dips and curve of her muscles. Katara relaxes further under his touch, humming.

"And what _else _would we be doing, Fire Lord Zuko?"

"Glad you asked," he murmurs and in a quick motion leans up to plant a kiss on her shoulder. 

Katara's breath catches in her throat. Zuko's smirk grows and he draws the collar of her robes away to lean down and press his lips to her neck, her collarbones, peppering kisses all over the small patches of exposed flesh he can find. Every few touches, his tongue darts out to sketch the dips and curves of her neck and shoulders, upper chest and she shudders out an unsteady breath.

Her voice is beautifully wrecked and she licks her lips, hoarse the first time. "W-was this your plan all along? Get me along and ravish me?"

"It wasn't the plan but I quite like the ravishing part," he admits before pressing another kiss to her collarbones, letting his bottom lip drag along the protruding bone. She moans quietly. "Permission to ravish you, Fire Lady Katara, with my confidence one of our children won't interrupt this time?"

"Permission granted," she gasps before she's grabbing him by the collar of his robes and pulling him into a searing kiss. If possible, Katara sinks further into the sheets as his body leans into hers, cradling her into the sink, surrounding her. Zuko finds himself huffing a laugh into her lips before he's cupping her cheeks, tilting his head to deepen the kiss and flick his tongue along the seam of her mouth.

She opens beautifully around him. Time ebbs and flows around them, turning their bedchamber into molasses of a glowing carmine until fingers - he doesn't know who's, his or Katara's - unknots the sash of her robes and peels them open like a parchment-wrapped gift. The cloth falls into the bed around her and Zuko can do nothing but stare, hovering above her body as he is, knees pressed to either side of her hips.

Flushing as if they're newlyweds and not parents with five children, Katara squirms slightly as his hand starts at her collarbone and maps the skin down. His mouth follows not long after, licking and nipping at the rise of her breast and the dip of her sternum. Her stomach undulates beneath his lips with her breathless, dripping laughter before he's halting in his course.

She raises her head. "Zuko-?"

His hand is warm against her lower stomach. The tip of his thumb traces a pale white scar across her skin and she sucks in a sharp breath as he leans down to kiss it then, letting her legs wrap around his hips. "You're so strong," he murmurs into her skin. "So beautiful."

"They're just stretch marks," she hums with a chuckle, threading her hands into his hair where it hangs across his cheek. "Nothing special."

He kisses another stretch mark, letting his lips linger before he works his way back up and kisses her deeply. "It's not just stretch mark," he whispers when he pulls back, voice hoarse. Her heart flips when his tongue wets his lips before he continues. "You carried and gave birth to our children, Katara, and these marks show how _strong _you are. It shows how resilient and kind and loving you are. They wouldn't be here without you."

She smiles up at him. "They wouldn't be here without you," she says softly and then she's rolling them until she's perched on his hips instead. It's as natural as breathing for Zuko's hands to settle on their place on her waist.

The dark curtain of her hair, wavy from where she's taken it down from her updo, falls over her shoulder and brushes his chest when Katara leans down to kiss his sternum. Her lips press to the pale skin and his breath hitches deep in his throat as he realizes what she means.

He knows where she's going.

Katara moves gracefully above him and he can do nothing but watch, transfixed. She plants closed mouth kisses in a straight line from the hollow of his neck to the place between his chest and stomach.

When her lips graze the twisted star that lies directly above his abdomen, Zuko sucks in a sharp breath that dwindles into a long moan. Katara smiles before leaning down to kiss another point, working her way around the scar slowly and he tilts his head back.

They have all the time in the world and if this is how she wants to spend it, Zuko's never been able to tell his wife no.

"They wouldn't be here without you," she reminds him gently between presses of lips against flushed skin. "_I _wouldn't be here without you, Zuko. You're so quick to praise others but hardly stop long enough to see all the good you've done, too."

Every touch of her mouth sends a ripple of memory through him. He doesn't remember much of the final Agni Kai beyond Azula's crazed laughter, agonizing pain as his feet left the ground and he let the lightning pass through his chest - _it must never touch your heart, _Uncle had instructed him - as Katara screamed.

The lightning never touched his heart.

When Katara rocks atop his hips, he knows the lightning never touched his heart. How could it? She was right here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next (tentative) update is wednesday, going off of how this was updated on monday instead of sunday. see you then!
> 
> twitter: skyvving


	11. xi. ear kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You would _think_ after fifteen years you'd be used to the cold."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another kiss prompt, another chapter, another thousand words closer to the end. this chapter is a little different only because i really wanted to highlight how much of a mother katara is vs her love of being a diplomat. kids aren't easy and especially for her i felt like zuko would step up to help balance her love of her people vs her family, if that makes any sense? like she loves her kids and wants to be there for them but she also feels responsible for not just the fire nation but the southern water tribe. 
> 
> enjoy!

"You would _think_ after fifteen years you'd be used to the cold," Katara chuckles as her husband buries his face deeper into the furs of his parka. Over the white fluff, he glares at her, voice muffled.

"Shut up."

Ahead of them, their five children run through the wide streets of the South Pole towards the Great Hall that stands in the middle of the rapidly growing city. It's only been a year since Katara was last here but she can already see the growing infrastructure. Although she helped build most of it, it takes her breath away when she remembers what it used to be - a huddle of igloos inside a small snow wall on the fringe of the ocean.

She misses that small igloo, sometimes. It was her home until she was fourteen, after all, until her home became an air bison's saddle and then later a room in the Fire Palace.

Zuko nudges her shoulder. "Earth to the Fire Lady."

She blinks before smiling weakly and looping her arm through his, breathing in the sharp air. As much as she's come to love the Fire Nation, the humid air still sometimes weighs heavily in her lungs.

Even with her head tilted back and eyes closed, Katara can feel her husband's eyes on her. Zuko studies the line of her set jawline carefully.

"Katara? You alright?"

Instead of answering, she's tugging him through the large double doors of the Great Hall, her hand wrapping around his wrist. Even through all the layers of fur and robes that's keeping him from freezing into a block of ice, he can feel how her fingers tremble.

Zuko's opening his mouth again when she smiles back at him. He can see the words forming in the back of her mouth, turning like gears in her head when Chief Hakoda appears and pulls her into a hug.

"Katara! I'm sorry I wasn't there to escort you in - your messenger hawk got a little lost before he found his way here. I only found out you were coming this morning."

His wife laughs, voice muffled by the fur of her father's parka. "That's alright, Dad. Did you see the kids? I saw them run through here."

Hakoda rubs under his chin and Zuko wonders for the thousandth time _how_ Katara's father can walk around without gloves on. "I saw at least four of your troublemakers and guided them towards where your brother is staying. Kairi and Koda will be excited to see their cousins but I didn't see Shui."

"Thanks," his youngest child smiles. "Shui probably split off towards the bedrooms. She gets seasick - I should probably check on her."

Hakoda nods thoughtfully in the moment before his eye catches on Zuko. If possible, splits into a wider grin. _"Zuko!_ I almost didn't see you there, blending into the wall with all that blue. You look like one giant mound of fur! Come here, it's good to see you again."

Katara giggles behind her glove as her father scoops the Fire Lord into a bear hug. Although Zuko tries to look composed, she can see how his good eye softens at the motion and hugs Hakoda back, patting his father-in-law on the back. In the years since their courting and consequential marriage, he's come to see the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe as family, almost as much so as Iroh.

The older man steps back from the hug to grasp Zuko's shoulders. "You look well, son. How has my daughter and her wild things treated you?"

Over the sound of Katara gasping mockingly, Zuko grins over the fluffy collar of his parka. "They're nothing I can't handle, sir," he chuckles, wrinkling his nose at Katara. "They keep me on my toes, that's for sure."

"Just like her mother," Hakoda muses and winks at his daughter. "Now, about your little ones, I was _meaning_ to ask-"

"Fire Lady Katara!"

Three heads turn in time to the sound. Down the hall comes four Water Tribe citizens - Zuko would assume parts of the government by their robes - grinning widely. They stop a respectable distance from Katara and bow to her and then Zuko.

The one in front, a woman with salt-and-pepper hair and a sharp nose smiles when she rises.

"We were so excited to hear you were coming, my Lady! We have much to show you from your last visit and would love to go over our plans of expansion if you're available?"

Even from where Zuko stands behind her, he can almost hear how her voice lights up. "Oh! Yes, I would love to..." she trails off, half-turns with a frown. "But I'm afraid I can't, right now, I was just-"

"She was just saying how much she would be honored to see the progress that's been made since last year," he jumps in and steps forward. "I know she's very proud and excited to see how the Southern Water Tribe has fared, considering how prominent she was in helping to rebuild it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go find my daughter and other miscellaneous children to make sure they don't break anything."

The four officials bow as Katara catches his arm.

"You didn't have to-"

He shakes his head, pressing a gloved hand to her lips. She looks beautiful swaddled in the navy of her mother tribe and surrounded by her element. "I'll go make sure Shui is okay, let me worry about her for now. I know you've been excited to see the progress - go. Let me be the one wrangling them for today."

She looks close to tears. Out of the corner of his eye, Zuko sees Hakoda nod and Katara leans up to kiss the only bit of exposed skin she can, the rim of his ear.

_"Thank you,"_ she murmurs, "I love you," then she's disappearing down the hall. With a satisfied grin on his face, Zuko heads the other way with Hakoda by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> see you friday, loves!! :)


	12. xii. collarbone kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Five is the perfect number for me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning!! smut again! sorry not sorry i just got really deep into my zutara feels and am a sucker for post-coital cuddling and aftercare conversations. sue me.
> 
> see you sunday!

She gasps sharply, burying her moan in the skin of his neck as her breath comes heavy and hot. Hips rolling in quick movements that stutter with his every thrust upwards, Katara's arms around his neck hug his cheek to the column of her neck and he nips along the dark, flushed skin.

Their bedchamber is dark around them and her thighs tighten around where she's seated on his hips. When she says his name, it's a dripping sound that sets a wildfire through his blood.

"Zuko," she moans sharply, _"Zuko-" _

His teeth graze her pulse point as his hips come up again to meet hers and his name on her lips breaks off into a euphoric cry. Beautifully, she shatters around him, biting down on his shoulder as she shudders and quakes, hips bucking as she rides out the wave he's been steadily pushing her towards and now _over_. The little pants she can't conceal between her teeth only fuel the inferno and he's pulling her impossibly closer, holding her close as she comes.

Skin hot and feverish where Zuko's fingertips press into the small of her back, he groans lowly once, twice, before he's following her over that wave gladly. As he trembles, hips still undulating beneath her, Katara holds him as he did her. Chuckling breathlessly, she presses little kisses to whatever skin she can find; lips wet with the sweat they've both worked up from being pressed together for so long during a Fire Nation summer.

When he's finally done shaking he falls back into the mountain of pillows on their bed and with his arms still wrapped around her, Katara comes to. She giggles into his neck tiredly before rolling off him with a long groan.

"If I miss my cycle next month I'm going to murder you."

He huffs out a breathless laugh as she settles on her side next to him. "That's treason, Katara."

"I know the Fire Lady," she shrugs and swipes lazily at the hair that sticks to her forehead and cheeks, "I'll pull a few strings."

Zuko catches her hand and kisses her knuckles in the moment before she's leaning forward to claim his lips. The kiss isn't long by any means and they're both still struggling to catch their breath but Katara buries her face in the crook of his neck once it breaks and he hugs her close.

"Would another really be that bad?" he rasps and her short giggle vibrates up his throat.

"You're not the one carrying that _another one _for nine months and having to give birth, so you have no input on the subject."

He presses a kiss to the crown of her head. Even though her curls are wild this time of night; untied from their usual updo and left down in the humidity and frizzed by their romp, Zuko combs his fingers through the dark tresses and works apart the tangles gently.

"I guess you're right."

"We already have an army," she points out and hums when his fingertips swirl circles against her scalp, nails scraping slightly, "I don't know how many more you expect out of me."

"None," he promises valiantly. "Promise. Five is the perfect number for me."

Katara huffs out a laugh at that and raises her head from where she had nocked it against his shoulder. "It better be; I'm _exhausted _keeping up with five plus you."

"I take offense to that," Zuko sniffs and rolls until he's hovering above her on his elbows. From where she's still laying on her side beneath him, she harrumphs and crosses her arms.

"You're all talk and no bite, Fire Lord," she informs him.

Zuko smirks and shifts his weight to one arm so he can trace the reddening skin along her shoulders, collarbones and breasts. "I think you'll find I'm _all _bite, Fire Lady."

She sends him a cross look. "Zuko, I swear, if any of those are visible in the morning-"

He silences her with a kiss, laughing. "As if you aren't the best healer in the four nations who could easily heal them. Hasn't that always been what you've done in the past?"

"It's the principle of the thing," she shoots back but there's no malice in the words, Katara biting back her only smile as it is. "But I'm serious. I may be the best healer in the four nations but I don't think even _I_ could handle a sixth kid. Do we even have any rooms left in the palace?" 

Despite how their bodies are pressed together, sweat cooling rapidly, there's no arousal in their movements. There's only the teasing, knowing smiles, and Zuko kissing the tip of her nose with a smile.

"I think we would have to kick Uncle out of his room."

Katara snorts. "He would sleep in the gardens if it meant more grandbabies running around and we both know it. I don't know how to break it to him that his Fire Lady is tired of being pregnant all the time. I've forgotten what my own body feels like."

"He'll be heartbroken," Zuko agrees and although they're both smiling, they know everything that lies below - the fears they all had when Katara found out she was pregnant five years after Shui's birth, how Iroh's hands always hovered when he was around her. Uncle loves on their children with all the affection in his body and fears for her so because he's known it all.

Zuko knows how Iroh went sheet-white when the funeral robes were found in his quarters, knows how it was only hours after his own son's birth that his wife breathed her last. How he wasn't there for his wife or Lu Ten's death; how close he holds their little - _well, _not so little anymore - family. _ His _family.

Her nose wrinkles when he kisses her collarbone and rolls them until his good ear is pressed to her sternum. "What was that for?"

"I love you," he murmurs sleepily. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was lowkey all over the place but i got really attached to it and decided to keep it, oh well. i can't believe the next chapter is the second to last part :( i've fallen in love with this fic and am sad to see it finish but! i promise i have more zutara fics up my sleeve so this isn't the end
> 
> i almost didn’t post this bc my grandfather is in the hospital but!! i promised myself i would do this. see you sunday!


	13. xiii. neck kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You fell for it! I can't believe you let your youngest snooker you into _three_ bedtime stories."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my grandfather got released from the hospital and is now home so!! i have returned! i feel kinda bad for abandoning this story for as long as i did but i honestly needed the time away to be with family and! now i'm back and he's okay! and i just want to thank everyone who was so understanding in me needing some time to myself. the final chapter will be up saturday!
> 
> shoutout, once again, to aino for always sticking by my side and being my BIGGEST supporter not only of this fic but all my other zutara wips :) love you girl!!

Through her blurry haze of sleep, Katara can hear how the panel to their bedchamber slides open and closed. Soft footsteps that she can tell are bare pad across the wooden floors and then the mattress is dipping beside her. Even as a face presses into the back of her neck she doesn't open her eyes but smiles languidly. "Hi, stranger."

Her husband smiles against her nape. "You know, letting strange men into your bed isn't a wise idea."

"I have a good feeling about this one," she murmurs and shifts. "I'm guessing the kids went down okay? I didn't hear any yelling of the guards or crashing so I assumed you had it under control, but I figured it was hopeless to wait for you to come back."

Zuko scoffs mockingly. 

"I'm hurt, My Lady. If you must know, our children are all safely in bed in one piece, even if some of them insisted on  _ three  _ bedtime stories instead of one."

"You sound surprised," Katara chuckles. "Three is usually where they start at and go up from there, especially if Loi used  _ the eyes  _ but it's usually alright if you don't fall for them."

Silence. Her giggles turn into bellowing laughter and she's turning over, then, as her husband looks at anything else in their bedchamber except her. "You fell for it!" she shouts, grinning. "I can't believe you let your youngest snooker you into three bedtime stories."

"Oh, hush," Zuko growls and tackles her into the sheets. They roll a few times - the Fire Lord's bed is apparently  _ huge  _ \- before coming to a stop, her husband hovering over her and trapping Katara between his arms. Tangling her hands in his hair, finally let down from all day in a tight topknot, Katara shrieks with laughter as he leans to blow raspberries all over her neck and chest where her nightgown's collar scoops down.

She wiggles underneath him. "Zuko! Stop!  _ Quarter! _ I surrender!"

"You're not getting away that easily," he laughs and his kisses work their way back up to her neck. When they finally reach her lips, Katara sighs into his mouth and wraps her arms around his neck.

Their bedchamber falls silent. In the back of her mind, Katara hopes the guards outside their suite have left for the night and didn't hear the uproarious laughter followed by sheets rustling and quiet. She flushes quickly - they don't need rumors of the Royal Family having  _ another  _ kid. Five is enough for her, thank you.

"Hey," Zuko pokes her and Katara blinks, torn from her thoughts. He pouts mockingly for a moment. "Am I boring you, Fire Lady Katara?" 

She leans up to kiss him instead of answering. Zuko's hand is firmly laid on her hip and he presses her head back into the pillow. Even as heat warms in her belly, Katara can't help but let her eyelids flutter with exhaustion.

Their kiss is broken by a wide yawn. He chuckles.

"Ah, not bored. Tired, then."

She pokes at his arm and turns over, snuggling back into the sheets.

"Running a country isn't easy work. You should try it sometime."

Her husband lets out an amused breath as the mattress shifts again and he's standing. "Is that so?"

"Yes," she replies simply and her eyes close. "It's  _ exhausting _ ."

The only returned answer is Zuko's chuckling and Katara finds herself floating pleasantly by the time he returns to her side. The blankets draw themselves over her hips and she hums in greeting when his body slots behind hers.

Zuko buries his face in the bare nape of her neck. For not the first time, Katara is glad she braids her hair for sleep so he can do just this - she remembers the morning after their wedding night when he woke with her hair in his mouth and she laughed herself into a stomach ache at the sight of the Fire Lord spitting out her chestnut curls.

She smiles languidly. "Hi."

"Hello," he murmurs into her neck and punctuates it with a kiss. Katara sinks further into his embrace, into the all-encompassing warmth she's come to take advantage of. 

"I missed you."

"I thought we were supposed to be  _ sleeping _ , because you were  _ tired _ ," Zuko teases.

Katara pokes her toes into his calf in retaliation, who yelps. She chuckles and wiggles her hips closer. 

It's so quiet she barely catches it but smirks victoriously to herself when Zuko groans  _ not fair  _ as his arm comes around her waist to tug her closer. Katara sighs, long, when his chest presses to her back so she can feel the steady beat of his heart.

She's always loved this - these quiet moments they manage to steal together. It's been a while since they've truly been alone, now with five children and a nation to run, but Katara knows she and Zuko will steal these times whenever they can. So when he seems to finally relax into the pillows behind her, his breath puffing along her neck and shoulders, Katara tangles her fingers with the ones of the hand slung over her hips.

Zuko's chuckle is low, dripping with the pull of sleep. "Go to sleep, love."

"Goodnight," she murmurs. "I love you."

He exhales slowly and Katara grins when his lips press chastely to the nape of her neck. Instead of pulling away, though, they linger and the warm breath from his nose makes her shiver. Gooseflesh travels down her spine to her legs, tingling and wild, and instead of tensing she lets herself relax further into the heat.

It's not arousal though, just the simple warmth of plain intimacy and Katara brings their intertwined hands to her chest. She presses their fists to the space between her breasts and drops her chin to kiss the back of his hand.

Zuko's smile is palpable against the back of her neck. "I love you, too," he whispers and she doesn't have to turn to know how his cheeks must be heating, "goodnight, Katara."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i changed my twitter handle again, i'm so sorry but also NOT come yell with me about atla and tlok @ korrascmi


	14. xiv. lip kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I should be the one _thanking you."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY SHIT IT'S DONE!!
> 
> we may have hit a few snags in the updating schedule (shoutout to real life for sucking) but we're HERE and it's DONE and i'm sad i won't be writing zutara every day anymore but so excited i can move to other fics. i want to give a HUGE shoutout to the jasmine dragons gc on twitter - ESPECIALLY aino and jasmine - for their continued support through it all even when i knew they were probably tired of my ranting. without them i know i wouldn't be here now at the end of the road - the road that marks my very first multichapter fic that i actually finished and zutara to boot!
> 
> a big thank you to everyone who's left kudos and commented and subscribed and followed me on twitter because of this story. i love each and every one of you so so SO much, more than you know. more than you'll ever know.
> 
> COME SCREAM WITH ME ON TWITTER AFTER THIS BC I'M QUITE PROUD HOW I CONCLUDED THIS FIC THANKS NOW!!! ENJOY!

Faintly, Katara doesn’t know if the howling she hears is her head ringing or the _very real _screaming of Azula behind her. Despite how she wavers with the aftershocks of adrenaline she doesn’t wait to see if the chains wrapped around the Fire Princess’ body hold - she trusts herself and there’s someone much more important.

Her heart seizes at the thought and she’s slipping as she runs across the decimated courtyard. She flings her arms out with a tired, desperate noise and the water that lies across the stones between her and her destination recedes.

_“ZUKO!”_

She’s said his name countless times before but this one breathlessly rips from her lungs as if it's painful. _Maybe it is_. Before she even realizes it, Katara’s knees are hitting the flagstones and she’s sliding a shaking hand under his head.

He's face-down, unmoving and she sobs dryly.

Zuko hasn’t moved an inch since he jumped in front of her, screaming, arms extended to welcome the jagged, pure bolt of lightning into his chest - for _ her _and Katara bites back a cry at the thought. Her hand shakes when she holds it over his mouth to ensure he's even alive and even as she sags with relief, his breath puffs along her palm in shallow breathes she can’t seem to see straight; his prone figure trembling wetly before her. 

She could’ve lost him. _She nearly lost him. _

Katara's arms tremble when she gently turns him over, sliding a hand under his head to pillow against the pavement. A long groan escapes his lips and he stirs, eyebrows furrowing. She can't seem to look away - even though she knows he's still alive there's still the deep-set fear that this destroyed courtyard is his graveyard.

Her lips form his name but nothing comes out. She swallows thickly when his eyelids flutter, a glimpse of amber and gold, and his mouth moves but no sound escapes them. Katara wonders that even if he _had _said anything if she would hear it through the continued ringing of her ears. 

Although it nauseates her, she lets herself look down from the anguished lines of his face. Even if she wanted to avoid looking at the wound, she couldn't. Azula's lightning has ripped through the front of his robes, searing away not only cloth but skin as well and she chokes back bile at the smell of burning flesh. Bits of his burgundy robes have twisted themselves into the starburst scar that's _so _close to his heart that she feels like she can't breathe for a moment.

Katara almost traces each angry red point of the starburst until her fingers brush the singed edges of what remains of his tunic and she pulls back like _she's _been burned. The thought crashes into the space between her yearning heart and aching ribs.

_ It’s her fault. _

She's so tired of losing people - tired of losing people she _loves. _

Just as quickly as she banished it, she’s drawing the water back. She draws moisture from the air, from the stones, from even her cheeks. Skin dry and mouth drier, she presses shaking hands to his chest and _wills. _

For a moment her vision is eclipsed by the glowing of her hands and nothing else. The only hint of life comes from how Zuko’s skin starts to knit itself back together underneath her palms; if he was dead, blood wouldn't be moving.

If he was dead, she wouldn’t be able to _save him. _

It's a thought she refuses to entertain. Katara stares down at the wound, hard, hands shaking as she pushes every ounce of willpower left in her throbbing figure through her arms and into _his _body. 

He will not die. Not on her watch.

A hand slips atop hers. Katara blinks, whipping her head up and through the veil of tears, Zuko smiles faintly. His golden eyes are hooded, cheeks drawn with pain but he looks as strong as when he leaped, arms out as if to hug his little sister's retaliation-

Katara forces the memory down. She knows, then, that this will be a memory she'll spend the rest of her life locking away in the back of her brain. She may have healed him but Zuko never would have needed her to if she hadn't had come in the first place.

He licks his lips, voice no more than a whisper but it seems to resonate in her ears like a shout.

"Thank you," Zuko rasps and a tear leaks from the corner of his bad eye.

Katara swipes it away gently with her thumb but doesn't move her hand away. She lets the tears building up behind her eyelids slide down her cheeks. _"I_ should be the one thanking _you."_

Zuko's hand encircles her wrist and she can't look away. His eyes are soft, understanding, _ so _warm from where amber peeks through.

He seems to read her mind.

Katara's tears drip onto his cheeks the moment before he's lifting his head to meet her halfway, lips inches apart. Zuko hesitates, letting her know he's fine and her heart stops in her chest as time hangs still for a moment before she's surging forward to kiss him like she's the one that died, not him, like he's air and she's a pair of starving lungs.

At the press of their lips, Katara falls apart. All at once, she finds herself drowning in the smell of smoke, ash and underneath it all, the scent of earth and sweat and pine Zuko seems to radiate always, even when they were camping in the woods. Like the rest of him, he's warm to the touch and Katara lets her forehead rest against his after a moment.

He breathes harshly and so does she, breathing in the other. But his chest moves under her hand as a reminder that because of her, he's alive. Because of her, he's here and he's the Fire Lord and he's won. _They've won. _

He's safe._ They're safe. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me, through barely held-back tears: no im not salty That Scene didn't end with a zutara kiss why would you say t
> 
> @ korrqsato


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